The present invention relates, generally, to carpentry tools. More particularly, the invention relates to a folding carpenter square and a bevel tool.
The state of the art includes various carpenter""s squares for laying out square and angled lines for various purposes, such as the well-known Swanson Speed Square, and tools for transferring bevel angles. But prior art devices are believed to have significant limitations and shortcomings. U.S. Pat. Des. No. 290,092 to Bies discloses a carpenter framing square that has a triangular-shaped member with an attached pivotable element. The tool is very useful for layouts, rafter cuts, and as a protractor for marking angles; however its bulky triangular shape is not conducive for easy storage and carrying.
Several U.S. patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,446,969 to Terenzoni and 3,289,301 to Hanson, disclose squares having an L-shaped element pivotally connected to another element. The L-shaped piece provides a fixed 90 degree angle when desired and the pivoting piece allows angular layout. Though the two elements can fold together, the tool is still very bulky due to the L-shaped piece.
Numerous patents disclose tools having three members with pivot connections between at least two of the members that allow articulation of the members relative to each other to make some measurement and/or to layout lines. Because the members are articulated, they can be folded into a straight compact form. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,974,677 to Butwin, 5,384,967 to Helmuth, and 3,574,945 to Main, are typical of such patents. Ninety degree angles are formed by elements when they are in a certain position relative to each other, and the elements can be moved to determine other angles. In the Main device, one element slides relative to another to maintain a 90 degree angle.
A sliding bevel is a very useful tool for laying out and transferring bevels from existing construction to new work. In such a sliding bevel, one part freely slides and pivots relative to another part. An example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 228,027 to Bissell.
Of the devices with two or three arms with pivoting connections therebetween used to layout square and angled lines, none are as suitable as the Bissell bevel device for transferring bevels since they do not have a sliding and freely pivoting element. The Bissell bevel device, however, is not suited for laying out 90 degree lines like a carpenter square.
Since both a carpenter square and a sliding bevel are very useful tools, both are typically carried in a carpenter""s tool box or work belt. It is desirable to have a single tool that can perform the functions of a carpenter square, such as the Beis device, and the functions of a sliding bevel, such as the Bissell device, and be foldable into a small compact unit, such as the Butwin device.
The present invention comprises a foldable triangle-shaped carpentry tool having three adjoining legs, with an articulating joint between the hypotenuse leg and each adjoining leg. The other two non-hypotenuse legs are capable of being abutted together to form a substantially 90 degree angle between the two non-hypotenuse legs to function as a carpenter""s square. At least one of the articulating joints is capable of being tightened and loosed. A slot is included in the hypotenuse leg such that the articulating joint capable of being tightened relative to its adjacent leg is within the slot. This position allows the adjacent leg movement about the joint relative to the hypotenuse leg to function as a bevel or sliding bevel.
The articulated joints and the ability to move the two non-hypotenuse legs relative to each other allows the combination square and bevel/sliding bevel to be folded into a compact shape. The carpentry tool may be folded even more compactly when one of the non-hypotenuse legs is comprised of two opposing members that are in a parallel, spaced-apart relationship to the other where the spaced relationship is sufficient to receive at least an edgewise portion of the other non-hypotenuse leg when the articulating joint capable of loosening is loosened and the two non-hypotenuse legs are in a non-abutting position.
The present invention further comprises a method for compactly folding the combined carpenter""s square and bevel/sliding bevel.